September 25, 2005
Henriette Delille 1813 – 1862
One of the most interesting people in our mini-series of those who may be canonized saints is Mother Henriette Delille, foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of New Orleans. Most northern Catholics are unaware of the incredible history of the congregations of religious sisters founded by black Americans in the nineteenth century. Two of the most famous communities are the Oblate Sisters of Providence founded by Mother Mary Lang and the Sisters of the Holy Family of New Orleans founded by Mother Delille. We will give you a brief report of Mother Lang a little later in this series.
Mother Delille belonged to a group of people that New Yorkers are not too familiar with called Free People of Color. These were the children of soldiers of fortune from Europe who had a family back home, but who started another family with a girl of color in New Orleans. The grandmothers of this city were smart enough to insist that the children receive their father’s name, be legally acknowledged by him, and receive an education and so forth. This was a form of bondage; in fact this was an inexcusable form of bondage. Nonetheless it often benefited the children born because they received an education and considerable financial benefits.
Mother Delille started out life as a person of color and she was determined to found a religious community which would serve the needs of the poor, especially the needs of elderly people. Her story is one of incredible bravery. The sisters were not trusted by whites because they were people of color nor by Protestants because they were Catholic. Nevertheless, the Sisters of the Holy Family achieved an incredible status of respect and recognition in the city of New Orleans. You can hardly read Mother Delille’s life or the biographies of other sisters without the tears running down your face.
The Sisters of the Holy Family continue to grow and exist in New Orleans where they care for the elderly in beautiful homes and run a very fine academy for school children.
Because of my own interest in racial equality, I got to know the Sisters years ago. I have often enjoyed their wonderful hospitality, which features southern fried chicken at their Motherhouse. Any person interested in the growth of Catholicism in the United States should be informed of the unique contribution made by black Catholics, and especially by communities of sisters.
Unfortunately their homes for the aged, especially the Lafon Home (the oldest home in America for black elderly people), were severely damaged by hurricane Katrina and the flood.
This website, http://www.geocities.com/sistersoftheholyfamilyneworleans/SafeandSoundinGod.html, will bring you quite a bit of information and several other websites will come up if you type Henriette Delille in Google. You may also like to join the guild for the beatification of Mother Delille. Their mailing address is: Sisters of the Holy Family, c/o Catholic Center, 3500 Fairfield Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71104.
Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR
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